0M0 



Plans for School Improvement 

IN VILLAGE AND RURAL COMMUNITIES 



MISSOURI 



ISSUED BY 



State Department of Education 



WM. P. EVANS 
State Superintendent of Public Schools 




PREPARED BY 

GEO. W. REAVIS 
State Rural School Inspector 



JEFFERSON CITY, MISSOURI 
1914 



Plans for School Improvement in 
Village and Rural Communities 



MISSOURI 



ISSUED BY 



State Department of Education 



WM. P. EVANS 

State Superintendent of Public School 




^ccc*-* 



PR REARED BY 

GEO. W. REAVIS 

Slate Rural School Inspector 



JEFFERSON CITY, MISSOURI 
1914 



THE HUGH STEPHENS PRINTING COMPANY 

JEFFERSON CITY, MO. 



V 






BETTER SCHOOLS FOR COUNTRY BOYS AND GIRLS. 




That men are created equal is unquestioned ; that they remain so is sophistry. 
The schoolboy "with shining morning face" is at the parting of the ways. If city bred, 
his school days are spent in costly buildings with modern equipment and under the 
tuition of experts. 

The country lad has none of these, and yet his nuihbers are greater, while from 
his sturdy ranks come the men who do great things — command armies, build indus- 
tries, separate continents. 

Prom the outland, where life throbs strongest, the air is purest, the thoughts 
cleanest, come these handicapped youths, to engage in the battle of life and win — or 
lose. 

With an improved rural school, he may win ; without it — Failure. 

I. D. GRAHAM, in Kansas Farmer. 

(2) 



ft OF 0, 
SEP 4 .19,4 









INTRODUCTION. 

City children, go to the country for the summer, but return to 
the city in autumn for school. Why should they not go to the coun- 
try to school ? Nature is there and elementary production, ready to 
elucidate their lessons. There is freedom to shout, play is unim- 
peded, wholesome, fresh food and pure air and water. With these 
advantages one might expect children to go to the country for 
schooling. Alas, the opposite is found, for very many go from the 
country at a tender age to attend city schools, losing the care of 
parents and often gaining undesirable habits and associates. 

Many communities are finding that unwise economy and its 
accompanying dreariness are losing to them the best stock in the 
world, the boys and girls of Missouri. That the trouble is par- 
simony and not poverty is shown by the fact that in a large part 
of the State the wealth per teacher is greater in the country than 
the city. If the rural schools were better, if rural life were more 
interesting, if more social events came to them, if sports were more 
encouraged and conditions less hard, many of the youth now leav- 
ing the farm would stay. 

Rural Missouri has been the sleeping princess and the fairy 
prince Progress has roused her with a kiss. She is now stretch- 
ing herself, rubbing her eyes and looking around her. She sees 
far too many things that have been asleep, and among them are 
her schools and roads. This pamphlet has been prepared by Mr. 
Geo. W. Reavis, the State Rural School Inspector, to aid in meeting 
the newly awakened desire for suitable equipment for the good 
time dawning for the rural schools. 

Missouri has been greatly blessed with food and raiment, but 
the Book says, "Man shall not live by bread alone." But the "word" 
must have a setting and the acquisition, of an understanding of it 
must no longer be penalized as now in ugly cheerless, insanitary 
surroundings. If money and heart are put into the rural schools, 
they will produce finer returns than the most improved breeds of 
stock to be found. Yours truly, 

WM. P. EVANS. 

Jefferson City, Mo., June 1, 1914. 

(*) 



FOREWORD. 

The purpose of this bulletin is to furnish to boards of directors 
suggestive material and plans which may be of use in the construc- 
tion and equipment of new school buildings. Suggestions are also 
given in regard to lighting, heating, ventilating and equipping 
schoolrooms which are already built, but which do not have any 
modern conveniences. 

It is unfortunate that we have no laws in this State which 
require that schoolhouses shall be constructed to conform to mod- 
ern principles of convenience and sanitation, and that they shall 
also be built with due regard to the artistic effects of grace and 
beauty, but it is gratifying to know that there is an increasing 
demand from the people living in rural communities that their 
schoolhouses shall be made more attractive, comfortable and better 
adapted for good school work. 

Too long the "box-car" type structure has been with us. It 
should long ago have given way to a substantially built schoolhouse 
designed and equipped to meet the needs of the children. The edu- 
cation of a community is influenced largely by the architecture and 
environment of the school. "So much a long communion tends to 
make us what we are." 

The people of many rural communities are well able to have 
the best of everything pertaining to schools, and they owe it not 
only to themselves and their children, but a future generation, to 
see that all items relating to the physical features of their school 
plant have been given due attention in the light of modern stand- 
ards. 

Every effort should be made on the part of school officers and 
teachers to meet the requirements of Approval for Rural Schools. 

These suggestions, plans and reports of existing conditions are 
submitted with the hope that they may aid school officers and 
teachers in the solution of some of the vital problems of school 
improvement. 

(4) 



Grounds and Site. 

Much care should be exercised in the selection of a schoolhouse 
site. All sites should be on, a slight elevation, and convenient of 
approach either from a road or street. Too often they are chosen 
to please some faction in the district and wholly without regard to 
their adaptability to school purposes. The motive which should 
guide a community in the selection of the site for a schoolhouse is 
the influence which it will have on the lives of the children for good 
or evil. The house should not be located near swampy ground, a 
body of stagnant water, a cemetery, a slaughterhouse, a feed lot, 
or any place having a depressing influence upon the minds of the 
children. Since it is true that few rural schools in this State have 
an ideal location at present, and possibly the majority of them will 
continue to remain where they are for a long time to come, the 
wise thing to do is to make the present site as sanitary and inviting 
as possible. 

The grounds should be well drained, cement walks laid and 
trees and vines and shrubbery planted where needed. It is not 
necessary that one have a technical knowledge of landscape garden- 
ing before any steps are taken toward beautifying the grounds. 
The pupils of the school will be interested in making these improve- 
ments. A live teacher can direct this work and in a short time the 
school yard may be transformed from an ugly barren place to one 
of the neatest spots in the community. Many valuable lessons in 
soil fertility, tree planting and fertilizing will be learned in addition 
to the wholesome influence this improved condition will have upon 
the entire neighborhood. The grounds should contain not less than 
two acres and this will furnish opportunity to have a school garden 
and a roomy playground. The law now requires that elementary 
agriculture be taught in the rural schools, and it is necessary that 
an experimental plot be laid out where observations may be made 
on growing plants. 

In consolidated districts the law very wisely provides that be- 
fore State aid can be secured for building the board must purchase 
at least five acres of ground, a part of which must be used for 
experimental plots in teaching agriculture. 

There should be provision made to house the teams and horses 
used in conveying pupils from a distance to the consolidated school. 

(5) 



6 Plans for School Improvement 

Building Plans. 

The first step to consider in the erection of a new building is 
the probable number of children to be accommodated. This de- 
termined, the next step is a consideration of the financial ability of 
the district. Every district should decide to make use of the best 
materials and plans it can afford. The third step, and the one 
which should be considered well, is the architectural design. The 
box-car type should have no place in, mind or fact. It is suggested 
that school boards employ a competent architect to work out the 
plans best suited to the local community. When this is not pos- 
sible, the following plans are presented with a view of assisting 
the local carpenters or contractors. These plans embody the mod- 
ern ideas of schoolroom construction. 

Experience has taught that certain standards in arrangement 
and plan should be complied with in order to meet the demands 
for the natural growth and development of the child ; for example, 
the method of admitting light to the room, the size of the room, 
its height and shape. Certain limitations in these matters have 
been prescribed by the best authorities on school architecture and 
should be carefully observed by those entrusted with the erection 
of new school buildings. The room should not be more than thirty- 
two feet long nor more than twenty-four feet wide. The reason 
for these limitations is the protection of the eyes of the pupils 
engaged in regular classroom work. The room should be thirteen 
or fourteen feet high. This size will be ample to seat fifty pupils, 
allowing fifteen square feet of floor space for each pupil. Only 
single desks should be used. 

The light should be admitted from the left side through win- 
dows placed close together to prevent unnecessary shadows. They 
should not be nearer than five or six feet to the front wall, and 
should extend well up to the ceiling line. 

Foundation walls should be of concrete or stone. All outside 
steps, walks or platforms should be of concrete. Floors should be 
double, the under floor laid diagonally across the joists. The floors 
of a schoolroom should, each summer, be scrubbed until thoroughly 
clean, allowed to dry and oiled with boiled linseed oil applied hot. 
This oil can be applied with an ordinary floor mop. Apply as much 
oil as the wood will absorb. This fills all the pores of the wood, 
and hardens the wood and greatly lengthens the durability of the 
floor. After the floor has been treated thus, use a sweeping com- 



Village and Rural Schools. 7 

pound and there will be little trouble with dust. Instead of the 
above floor treatment, some school boards varnish their floors with 
a heavy coat of hardwood varnish. This is probably the best floor 
treatment. Such a floor can often be wiped with a damp cloth, and 
can be cleaned with a brush as easily as a tile or cement floor. The 
floor varnish must be renewed every two or three years. Real slate 
blackboards are the best and most economical in the end. 

A cloth, dampened with a little kerosene oil, should be used to 
wipe the furniture. Never use a feather duster — this only scat- 
ters germs. 



Plans for School Improvement 




Village and Rural Schools. 




p S P-2 



10 



Plans for School Improvement 




Village and Rural Schools. 



11 



Plate II. 



■ 


< 


< 


< 


■ 


• 


' 


• 


• 
























• 


















■SCHOOL ROOM- 


« 


















1 ' I 













h*t 



•hall- 



•Wobk-poom- 



•MODCL-OnC-Cam-BUEAL- SCHOOL- 

•J • n • rcLT-^-co ■ Aec (its • • KAna-cnr-no- 



Plate I shows the perspective and Plate II the floor plan of a one-room rural 
school These plans show the essential features of a modern school building. 

The heating apparatus is so designed that the heater may be fired from the hall, 
thus doing away with the necessity of carrying fuel into the schoolroom, and doing 
away with the dirt and noise which comes from coal and from firing a furnace. 

The building is ventilated through a large vent stack carried out above the rool. 
The building is lighted from the left of the pupils. 

The workroom adiacent to the schoolroom can be used for many purposes, but 
is designed particularly for use as a manual training room or a domestic science room. 
It has a large closet adjoining, and is well lighted. 

This building can be erected at a cost of from $1,200 to $2,000, depending upon the 
materials used. This moderate cost places the building within the reach of any 
country school district. 



12 



Plans for School Improvement 



Plate V 



Plato or a-- 
IOU12 Boaw- 
JcnSDLBULDl/lQ 




i-Alnrs-G)- 



GEounD-rLooE-Pu\n' 



Plate V shows the basement plan and Plates VI and VII the perspective and floor 
plans of a four-room school building, suitable for a consolidated school or a village 
school. 

From the exterior of the building it will be seen that it sets well out of the 
ground, and the basemtent floor plan shows that every inch of available space in the 
basement is used. 

The basement has the boys' and girls' toilet rooms which are separated by a brick 
wall and each reached by a separate and independent stairway. The sanitary drinking 
fountains and lavatories are so placed that pupils can get a drink without going to 
the toilet rooms. The lavatories and toilet rooms are well lighted. 

The lighting of the schoolrooms is perfect, being unilateral, or one-side lighting, 
the light all being brought from the left of the pupils, the windows setting well up 
to the ceiling line. 

The second floor is so planned that the two rooms can be thrown together, making 
an auditorium. 

This building can be erected at a cost of from $7,000 to $12,000. 

The school buildings in Consolidated District No. I in Barry county and Con- 
solidated District No. II in Greene county are very similar to this plan. 



Village and Rural Schools. 



13 



Plate VI. 




FRONT ELEVATION, FELT'S FOUR-ROOM SCHOOL. 




Plato- or a 

^CnCEUDUILlMi 



MIEltS-Co 



TlBSt-TLOOB-PLAn- 



14 



Plans for School Improvement 



Plate VII. 




REAR ELEVATION, FELT'S FOUR-ROOM SCHOOL. 




pLATD-OTA 
5Cn(3DL- DU1LDL/1G 



M-TtLT&CJX 

-flBOTIIETD- 

IWt>A3:(M> 



•OrcortD-npoE. pujv 



Village and Rural Schools. 



15 




FLOOR PLAN NO. 1. 



Courtesy Smith Heating Co., Minneapolis, Minn., who will furnish blue prints 
of above plan. 



16 



Plans for School Improvement 




PORCH 









FLOOR PLAN NO. 2. 



Courtesy Smith Heating Co., Minneapolis, Minn., who will furnish blue prints 
of the above plan. 



Village and Rural Schools. 



17 




MAPLEWOOD SCHOOL BUILDING, PETTIS COUNTY. 

The Maplewood school, Pettis county, is an approved school with furnace heat 
and playroom in basement. Edna L. Vaughan is the teacher. She has been in her 
present position forty-ejght months and receives fifty-five dollars per month. The 
library contains 110 volumes valued at eighty dollars and the assessed valuation of 
the district is $93,900 and the school property is valued at $2,300. There should be 
several hundred modern buildings similar to this one in our State. 



By T. W. Bast. 

Maplewood school is a frame building. The foundation and 
basement walls are made of concrete. The basement is practically 
the same size as the schoolroom above, with ample space for fur- 
nace and fuel. 

The schoolroom is 23x31 feet, lighted with windows on two 
sides. I would prefer to have the light entirely from one side. 

The ventilation is as perfect as can be arranged in a building 
of this class. 

The schoolroom has slate blackboards four feet in height above 
the wainscoting around the entire room.* 

There are cloak and workrooms directly connected with the 
schoolroom in addition to the main hallway. This building cost 
approximately $2,000 and is considered one of the best rural 
school buildings in the State. 



♦Part of the blackboards should be lower for the use of the small children. — Ed. 
P S P— 3 



18 



Plans for School Improvement 




MAPLEWOOD SCHOOL IN SESSION. 



i 1 























1 






Class - • "Room- 


























23' » 31' 


[ 










.j 










J 



k'. 



cT-oak-TEoom 



Hau, 



ma plewood -sch00lho115e. 
Pettis- County, mo. 



^ 



"WoR.K.-T?OOf 



FofeCH- 



_c 



T.W.Bast. Architects 
Sedaua-Mo. 



fLOOR.^LAN. 

FLOOR PLAN OF MAPLEWOOD SCHOOL BUILDING, PETTIS COUNTY. 



Village and Rural Schools. 



19 




20 



Plans for School Improvement 




/zavr Ez.£mno/v 



I 



fioiL EJZ. ILooM 



Z4* 3Z' 









gi Mm k 



r n 1 T 



mm 



Pun 



ir 






-/ 



ftAN F02Z.A- 

7fro Zam Scwoc 

uMV£jzsJ7-y cjry. 

37: J.ne/s ce. 



Village and Rural Schools. 



21 




ail 



foPest 








22 



Plans for School Improvement 




t-=nri 




CLASS ROOM 
iV-oVss'-o" 



SKETCHES FOR A FOUR- 
ROOM SCHOOL BUJLDJNG 



FJR3T FLOOR PLAN 



OR-^WirsG 



Jft 6/SON 




*vARO(q8t I 



^ 



SECOND FLOOR. PLAN. 

SKE.TCHE5 FOR A FOUR- 
ROOM SCHOOL- SUJL.PJNG. 



DR.AWINO ISSC/SICM. 



Courtesy State Department of Education, Michigan. 



Village and Rural Schools. 



23 




FJR5T f^LOOFi FL-J^fj 




Courtesy State Department of Education, Michigan. 



24 



Plans for School Improvement 




•pi^3-or J-ftIELT-5 Co- 

JxnooLDuiLDina -Gwunv TT°oil,- puvn- Kao5ad Oty-m- 




Puns -or 



J-AitLT&CO- 
flCCniTECTS- 



JXTIOOL- BULD1/1G HfciT-noOC-piArt- KATDAD-CnYMO 



AN EIGHT-ROOM PLAN. 



Village and Rural Schools. 



25 




Plato-op witlt- S - & 

DanT-D-OOM- flELCniTCCTS, 

5cnoDL:DuiLDina • 3ironD-TL90D.-pu/i- KMno-QTY-Ma 




nam-e^A- -ALTrsmmr- fln^nnrcrra- 

3THOOL DUI LP1HQ- 50C0nD-riPO2; Pl-AH • 1WOO -QTYvW)- 



AN EIGHT-ROOM PLAN. 



P S P— 4 



26 Plans for School Improvement 

Consolidated Schools. 

About fifty consolidated school districts have been formed 
under the Buford law of 1913, and several of these have erected 
new buildings in compliance with the law and have received State 
aid for building. Section 7 of this law says : "Whenever a district 
organized under the provisions of this act has secured a site of not 
less than five acres for the central high school building of said dis- 
trict and has erected thereon a school building, suitable for a cen,- 
tral school and containing one large assembly room for the meeting 
of the citizens of the district and has installed a modern, system 
of heating and ventilating, the State shall pay one-fourth the cost 
of said building and equipment, provided the amount thus paid by 
the State shall not exceed two thousand dollars ($2,000) for any 
one district. The State of Missouri shall, out of the general rev- 
enue fund of the State, make adequate, appropriation for carrying 
out the provisions of this section, and the money due any district 
shall be remitted by the auditor to the county treasurer of the 
proper county on receipt of a certificate from the State Superin- 
tendent of Public Schools stating that the conditions herein pre- 
scribed have been complied with." There are four important con- 
ditions to be met : 

1. The site must contain five acres. 

2. The building must have an assembly room. 

3. A modern system of heating and ventilating must be in- 
stalled. 

4. The building must be suitable for a central school. 

The minimum requirement for the assembly room is 1,400 
square feet of floor space, or two ordinary schoolrooms, separated 
with folding doors which may be opened when occasion demands. 
(The seats in both rooms must face the same way.) 

The Felt four-room building, with a rolling partition between 
the two rooms on the second floor, makes an ideal plan for a small 
school. There must be installed a system of heating which provides 
for an even distribution, of warm air and a fresh air intake and a 
foul air extractor which is so arranged as to give good results. 

The State Superintendent is given authority to pass on these 
conditions, and when found satisfactory the State aid will be re- 
leased. For a fuller discussion on consolidated schools see the 64th 
Annual Report of the Public Schools of Missouri, pages 79-84. The 
following arrangement of a five-acre school campus is taken from 
this report. 



Village and Rural Schools. 



27 



CONSOLIDATED SCHOOL PLOT. 



600 Feet. 



VILLAGE, g 



ATHLETIC FIELD. 



GROVE. 



School. 



EXPERIMENT FIELD. 









Barn. 


Shed. 










Cottage. 











The State requires that consolidated schools shall have an audi- 
torium for a community center and a five-acre tract for a school 
site if aid is sought, and that the building shall meet certain, hy- 
gienic requirements. The arrangement of the grounds for the best 
use is a matter of some interest and the above cut is offered as a so- 
lution of the problem. It contemplates a piece of ground 400 feet 
by 600 feet and the location of the school near the main road or the 
village on one corner with the athletic field in the adjacent corner. 
About the building, but not too near to obstruct the light, should be 
a grove for the neighborhood picnics. The back portion will be the 
agricultural plot where eventually the cottage for the principal will 
be built. A shed should be placed in the grove for the horses of the 
children riding or driving to school or for the hacks used to trans- 
port the children. 



28 



Plans for School Improvement 




Village and Rural Schools. 



29 




30 Plans for School Improvement. 

School Equipment. 

DESKS. 

One of the means of physical torture in the schoolroom is the 
desk which is too high or too low for the pupil and the seat of the 
same type. No excuse exists for forcing or even permitting a pupil 
to sit in a seat so high that his feet cannot touch. the floor, or to 
use a desk of a different size from the seat. 

School boards and teachers have participated in this process 
of physical torture for a long time and in far too many cases are 
continuing to do so. The remedy is simple ; it is high time it should 
be applied. Each pupil should have a single seat and desk which 
exactly fits his stature. These should be arranged in rows with all 
seats of the same size in the same row. Ample space for aisles 
should be left between each row of seats. The idea that all the 
large pupils should be seated in the rear of the room and have the 
sizes taper toward the front where the small pupils are seated is 
archaic and should be tolerated no longer by sane people. School- 
rooms having seats arranged in this fashion should not be permit- 
ted to exist, but the seats should immediately be properly arranged. 
Never purchase double seats. Always get single seats. If funds 
permit adjustable desks should be purchased. Many of the best 
schools are now seating their rooms with adjustable desks or with 
movable chairs and tables. When adjustable chairs and desks are 
used the pupils can be made more comfortable. Movable chairs and 
tables make possible the use of the schoolroom for community 
gatherings. The small chairs and desks may be pushed to one side 
and camp chairs or other movable seats supplied for these com- 
munity gatherings. A suitable desk and comfortable chair should 
be provided for the teacher. Since the teacher is required to keep 
a record of the attendance upon which the public school funds are 
apportioned, it is important that his desk be provided with drawers 
which may be locked in which all records and other valuables, such 
as reports, may be securely kept. 

Much depends upon the arrangement of the furniture and seats 
and these should be so placed as to provide health, comfort, con- 
venience and good taste. The best efforts of the pupils will be ob- 
tained only when their indoor environment meets these require- 
ments. 



Village and Rural Schools. 31 

HEATING AND VENTILATION. 

It is quite unfortunate in, our State that we have no well- 
defined laws which provide for the establishment of adequate sys- 
tems of heating and ventilation for our rural schools. 

The following regulations pertaining to this subject have been 
prescribed by the Indiana State Board of Health for that state, and 
by court decisions these regulations have the full force of law. 
Certainly Missouri should have similar regulations and no school 
should be without an adequate system of heating and ventilating: 

WHAT THE MODERN SYSTEM OF HEATING AND VENTILATION DOES WHEN 
INSTALLED IN A SCHOOLROOM. 

First— Supplies large volumes of fresh air rich in oxygen, and thoroughly warms 
and distributes this air over the entire room. 

Second — Removes from the room an equal volume of air which has been depleted 
of its life-sustaining element and has become poisoned by large quantities of carbonic 
acid gas, and organic impurities. In short, completely renews the air of the room 
from five to eight times per hour. 

Third— Does away with window ventilation, which is almost as great an evil 
as impure air, admitting as it does cold drafts to the schoolroom, causing colds, coughs, 
and kindred ailments. 

Fourth — Maintains a uniform temperature all over the room. 

Fifth— Absolutely eliminates the cold floor problem and "dreaded hot stove." 

Sixth— Adds 25 per cent to the seating capacity by removing the plant to the 
corner of the room ; changes unsightly heater to a heating plant of pleasing design. 

Seventh— Reduces amount of district's fuel bill by utilizing the heat that is usually 
wasted in overheating the upper portion of the room and that part immediately sur- 
rounding the stove. 

Eighth— Saves the people of the district many times the cost of the plant In 
doctor bills, to say nothing of the many days' absence on account of illness. 

Ninth— Adds 25 per cent to the efficiency of the school because of the better work 
accomplished under improved conditions. 

Tenth — The whole apparatus is under the direct supervision of the teachers, who 
can attend to it without leaving the room. 

"Heating and ventilating systems of all kinds shall take fresh aid from outside 
the school building, evenly diffuse the same through the schoolroom during school 
session, and withdraw foul air from said schoolroom at a minimum rate of 1,800 cubic 
feet per hour for each 225 cubic feet of said schoolroom space, regardless of outside 
atmospheric conditions. The State Board will test the efficiency of ventilating systems 
in school buildings as follows : With jacketed heaters and gravity systems, the 
anemometer test shall be made over the foul air vents in the classrooms. With plenum 
systems, the anemometer test shall be made over the fresh air inlet of the fresh air 
room and the fresh air inlet in the classrooms. 

In every test five readings shall be taken, one near each corner and one at the 
center of the air opening to be tested. A deduction of 5 per cent shall be made for 
a grill in the air opening. 

All tests shall be based upon the seating capacity of classrooms at 225 cubic feet 
of space per pupil. Before such test shall be made by the State Board of Health the 
heating contractor shall be given notice of the time when such test is to be made. 
The State Board of Health will make such tests upon the written request of the 
trustees, school boards, school commissioners, county or city, or State Superintendents, 
or upon petition of ten or more patrons of the school," 



32 



Plans for School Improvement 




Village and Rural Schools. 



33 




34 Plans for School Improvement 



STOVES AND HEATERS. 

"In small buildings, where furnaces or steam heat with fresh air from outside 
the building is impracticable, stoves or floor furnaces of suitable size and construc- 
tion, surrounded by heat proof metal jacket with open top, with fresh air intake from 
outside the building and foul air flue, shall be installed. The heater shall be of suf- 
ficient capacity to uniformly heat the room to 70° Fahrenheit in zero weather." 

JACKETS. 

"The jacket shall be made of heavy galvanized iron, black iron, or other material 
equally durable, and shall be lined with sheet asbestos. There shall be an inner 
jacket of tin or other metal equally efficient, with air space of not less than % inch 
between the jackets. The jacket shall stand not less than three inches from the stove 
or floor furnace, and shall extend to tray, floor shield or other foundation upon which 
the heater rests. The lower 12 inches of the jacket may have sliding doors or hinged 
doors opening on the inside in order to permit the re-circulation of air when such re- 
circulation may be necessary in order to heat the room more quickly. Such doors shall 
be closed at all times when the school is in actual session, but may be opened in the 
rmorning before school, or at intermissions if necessary to properly heat the room." 

SMOKE PIPE. 

"No smoke-pipe connection between the heater and the smoke flue shall be more 
than 5 feet long, measuring horizontally. 

No metal, tile, or other smoke pipe shall extend through the walls, ceiling, or 
roof in any manner, except as prescribed in these rules. 

CHIMNEY AND VENTILATING FLUE. 

Each room in which a heater is installed shall be provided with a masonry stack 
with single flue for smoke and foul air, or with separate flues for the same. Double- 
flue chimneys shall not be used unless the same are entirely within the building, with 
no wall exposed to the outside. Double-flue chimneys shall be built of masonry with 
one compartment for smjoke and one for ventilation, with the dividing wall not more 
than 4 inches, and with the inside of all walls plumb true and finished to a smooth 
finish. 

In lieu of a dividing wall a metal stack of not less than 16 inches gauge, non- 
corroding metal, or stack of glazed tile of not less than 1 inch thickness, may be 
constructed within the masonry chimney,, Such stack may be used for smoke, shall 
rest on the foundation of, the chimney for support, shall be held in place by metal 
side braces, and the smoke shall enter such stack at the usual smoke-pipe height. 

Where the same flue is used for both smoke and foul air, a suitable drum or 
mixing chamber shall be used for bringing the smoke and foul air together, in order 
to insure proper draft in both foul-air flue, or pipe, and in smoke pipe. In no case 
shall the free area through the mixing chamber or in the space surrounding the smoke 
pipe in the drum be less than the cross-sectional area of the flue. The foul air may 
be taken out through a. metal pipe extending from within 6 inches of the floor and 
connected with the smoke pipe through the drum before entering the flue, or may be 
taken directly through a register or registers in the base of the flue. The bottom of 
register faces shall be at the floor level, and the free area of register, after deducting 
5 per cent for grill, shall equal the cross-sectional area of the flue. Where the chimney 
projects into the room, registers may be placed on two sides in order to reduce the 
height of the registers. Clean-outs, accessible from the roomi, shall be provided for 
all flues and drums. A suitable damper with operating device in plain view and easily 
accessible from the room shall be provided so that vent flues can be shut off when 
not in use. 



Village and Rural Schools. 35 

LOCATION OF CHIMNEYS AND HEATERS. 

Wherever possible the heater and chimney shall be located at the same end of 
the room as the entrance door. 

In buildings of more than one room, when the same flue is used for both smoke 
and foul air, each room shall be provided with a separate chimney. When separate 
compartments for smoke and foul air are used, each room shall be provided 
with separate vent flue, but the same smoke flue may be used to accommodate not 
more than two rooms, and such flue shall have a cross-sectional area of not less than 
144 square inches. .» 

All flues shall start upon substantial foundation at the ground, and shall extend 
to at least 4 feet above the highest point of the roof of the building. Flues shall be 
built the same size the entire height, and all walls shall be plumb and true. 

The outside walls of all chimneys shall be not less than 8 inches thick." 

Few subjects which should engage the attention of school 
officers are of greater importance than that of hygiene as related 
to the methods of heating and ventilating. Hygiene treats of the 
laws of health and seeks to make growth more perfect, deteriora- 
tion less rapid and death more remote. These ends cannot be 
served in a poorly heated and ventilated schoolroom. Pure air is 
an essential to human life. Much of the headache, drowsiness and 
careless attitude of children in school is caused by a lack of an 
abundant fresh air supply. School officers and patrons of every 
community should no longer feel they have done all in their power 
to provide the children with a healthy environment until they have 
installed a modern system of heating and ventilating in the school- 
room. By a modern system is meant one in which provision is 
made for an intake of fresh air and an outlet of foul air. Simply 
placing a jacket around the stove is not sufficient and will not give 
satisfaction unless provision is made for the intake and outlet. 
Jackets should not be installed without the intakes and outlets. 
We have experimented a long time in this field and have now come 
to such a knowledge of ventilation that it is possible to have the 
air in our schoolrooms practically what it should be. With this 
knowledge at hand and with the means to provide the necessary 
conditions it is little less than criminal to continue to force inno- 
cent children to remain in stuffy rooms where the air is saturated 
with carbonic acid gas to the point where it is injurious to health. 

On January 1, 1914, less than seven per cent of the rural 
schools of the State were supplied with an adequate system of heat- 
ing and ventilating, and most of these have been installed during 
the past two or three years. Reports received at this office from 
county superintendents at that time show that of the 9,381 dis- 
tinctly rural schools 651 were supplied with modern systems. By 
reference to the Table of Modern Systems of Heating and Venti- 
lating in Rural Schools, it will be seen that 39 counties have no 



36 



Plans for School Improvement 



system other than a jacketed stove, and many do not have a single 
school in the county that can boast of even this. 




THE HERO SYSTEM OF HEATING AND VENTILATING. 

—Courtesy Charles Smith Co., 57 West Lake St., Chicago. 

It is gratifying, however, to note the widespread interest in 
this important subject, and the time will come when Missouri will 
take her place alongside other progressive states in this matter. 

In the following table it will be noted that in most counties a 
large number of stoves are provided with a jacket, but no means of 
ventilation. In computing percentages, these have not been, in- 
cluded. In the graph it is seen that St. Louis county has the larg- 
est percentage and Stoddard county the smallest percentage — 49 
per cent and .9 per cent, respectively. Find where your county 
stands in this list and then urge the patrons to vote the necessary 
amount to place it by the side of the most progressive counties : 



Village and Rural Schools. 



37 



TABLE OF MODERN SYSTEMS OP HEATING AND VENTILATING IN RURAL 

SCHOOLS. 

Showing the number of rural schools, number supplied with a modern system, and 
percentage of schools having such a system in each county. 



County. 



o s 3 

§?! 

vj o 2 

^ o i 



Adair 

Andrew 

Atchison 

Audrain 

Barry 

Barton 

Bates 

Benton 

Bollinger 

Boone 

Buchanan. . . . 
Butler 

Caldwell 

Callaway . . . . 

Camden 

*C. Girardeau 

Carroll 

Carter 

Cass 

Cedar 

Chariton 

Christian .... 

Clark 

Clay 

Clinton 

Cole 

Cooper 

Crawford .... 

Dade 

Dallas 

Daviess 

DeKalb 

Dent 

Douglas 

Dunklin 

Franklin 

Gasconade . . . 

Gentry 

Greene 

Grundy 

Harrison 

Henry 

Hickory 

Holt 

Howard 

Howell 

Iron 

Jackson 

Jasper 

Jefferson 

Johnson 

Knox 

Laclede 

Lafayette. . . . 
Lawrence. . . . 

Lewis 

Lincoln 



75 
79 
85 
90 

110 
93 

133 
92 
92 
96 
65 
81 

70 

114 
83 
74 

120 
33 

110 
82 

127 
76 
89 
58 
61 
47 
87 
82 

78 
80 

102 
74 
79 

108 
70 

111 

61 

89 

110 

79 

135 
97 
58 
68 
57 

113 

44 

97 

98 

84 

130 

74 

90 
91 
91 
75 
85 



a £ 

P 3 



~.3 



'"d 



03 O ^ 

CO 

a mi 



a o 
p o 



26.6 
26.5 
15.3 
25.5 

.0 

16.1 

5.2 

.0 

.0 

5.2 

35.3 

2.4 

8.5 

21.0 

.0 

23.0 

15.0 

3.3 

2.7 

1.2 

5.5 

2.6 

3.3 

10.3 

21.3 

6.3 

12.6 

.0 

.0 
.0 
7.8 
18.9 
.0 
.0 
.0 

.9 

6.5 

6.7 

5.4 

.0 

1.4 
19.5 

.0 
14.7 
10.5 

.0 

.0 

11.3 
6.1 

4.7 
3.8 

8.1 

.0 
20.8 
.0 
.0 
.0 



County. 



^o 



Linn 

Livingston. . . . 

McDonald. . . . 

Macon 

Madison 

Maries 

Marion 

Mercer 

Miller 

Mississippi. . . . 

Moniteau 

Monroe 

Montgomery . . 
Morgan 

New Madrid . . 

Newton 

Nodaway 

Oregon 

*Osage 

Ozark 

Pemiscot 

Perry 

Pettis 

Phelps 

Pike 

Platte 

Polk 

Pulaski 

Putnam 

Ralls 

Randolph 

Ray 

Reynolds 

Ripley 

St. Charles 

St. Clair 

St. Francois. . . 
Ste. Genevieve 

St. Louis 

Saline 

Schuyler 

Scotland 

Scott 

Shannon 

Shelby 

Stoddard 

Stone 

Sullivan 

Taney 

Texas 

Vernon 

Warren 

Washington . . . 

Wayne 

Webster 

Worth 

Wright 



101 
94 

66 
137 
50 
53 
56 
86 
82 
42 
72 
94 
71 
81 

44 

95 

167 

70 
70 
85 

35 

58 
92 
79 
78 
69 
106 
61 
85 

61 

78 
90 

58 

77 

72 

106 
46 
48 
67 

113 
56 
69 
42 
79 
69 

102 
60 

109 

73 
136 



n> £ 
p 3 

3 CD 

CfQ ■-» 

So 



f 3 



~.3 

P 3 

H 

CD CP 



5 


24 


13 


20 





1 


7 


6 








1 


1 


15 


4 


2 


3 





8 


2 


10 


10 


4 


17 


5 


3 


18 


1 


40 





20 


5 


3 


24 


18 





2 


28 


6 














12 


2 


3 


11 








8 


16 





5 





11 





2 


8 


3 


12 


20 


9 


20 


4 


2 








2 


2 


12 


6 


(t 


2 


1 


25 





10 


:v.>, 


30 


17 





1 





5 


5 


1 


2 








4 


10 


1 


3 








(I 


10 








2 


10 


3 


25 


5 


14 


2 


6 





4 





3 


3 


6 





4 



*In Osage and Cape Girardeau counties there are respectively 19 and 17 systems which 
provide for a fresh air intake and a foul air extractor. These are "homemade" systems 
but prove quite satisfactory. 



38 



Plans for School Improvement 



GRAPH OF MODERN HEATING AND VENTILATING 
SYSTEMS IN RURAL SCHOOLS. 

Graph showing the percentage of rural schools that had a modern system of heating 
and ventilating January 1, 1914. 



St. Louis. 




40 






35.3 




, „. ?« 7 






„ ,. „ . ?fi 6 




Andrew . . . — 


?,6 5 






25 5 












,. ,. ?1 3 






9i n 






„ ?ft 8 






. ?n 7 




Ralls 


, ... 19 6 






. . , , 1Q R 




TVKalb 


1» 9 




Monroe. . . 


18 




St. Charles. 


16 fi 




Barton. . . .__ 


lfi i 






, _ ,. ,. ., ., ... 15 3 




Carroll. . . 


15 n 




Saline — 


15 




Holt 


14 7 






_ ... ... ... 14 3 






13 8 






, 13 8 






, _ 1? <> 






, 115 






1 1 3 




Howard. . 


in 5 




Clay 


... ... ._ 103 




Pike 


10 1 




Putnam. . ._» 


9 4 




Warren. . . ._ 


... 8 7 




Caldwell. , . 


.,..85 






_ 8 1 




Daviess. . . 


, , .... 7 8 




Scotland. . . 


7 ?! 






6 7 




Gasconade. 


6 5 




Cole ... 


6,3 






6 1 




Shelby 


fi 8 






5 5 




Greene ... 


,_ 5 4 




Bates 


5 ?! 




Boone 


5 ?! 




Newton. . . 


_ 5 2 




Worth . . , , . 


5.2 






_ 5 1 




Linn 


4 9 






. —47 






. _ 4,7 






4.4 






4.9, 




J ohnson . . . 


,,. 3 8 




Carter. . . . 


_ 3 3 




Clark 


3.3 




Pettis 


3.2 




Washingt'n 


_ 2.9 






_ 2.7 




Cnristian. 


_ 2.6 




Ripley. . . 


_ 2.6 




Butler . 


_ 2.4 




Mercer ... 


. 2.3 




Scott . 


. 2.3 




Vernon ... 


. 2.2 




St. Francois 


2.1 






1.8 




Schuyler.. . _ 


1.7 




Harrison.. 


1.4 




Texas _ 


1.4 




Cedar 


1.2 




Morgan. . 


1.2 




Franklin. . . _ 


.9 




Stoddard. .- 


.9 





49 



Village and Rural Schools. 



39 



MOORE'S ROOM HEATER; 




MOORE BROTHERS CO., JOLIET, ILL. 




"A" System. 





"B" System. 



"C" System. 



The above four illustrations show Moore's Schoolroom Heater, and the three 
Moore Ventilating Systems for discharging the foul air from the room and introducing 
pure fresh air from outside. 



40 



Plans for School Improvement 





•WATERBVRY- ■ 
ONE' ROOM SCHOOL HOUSE 
DESIGN. N23 

THE WATERMAN- WATER5VR.Y CO. 

MINNEAPOLIS MINN.- 



FLOOR PLAN - DESIGN N2 3 



H. 

The above one-room building need not cost more than ?1,200, and yet it embodies 
features that are remarkably good. Note that the building may be modified in three 
ways so as to provide for east light and for frontage on a main road. 



Village and Rural Schools. 



41 





■WATER.LWRY- 

ONE ROOM SCHOOL HOUSE 



DESIGN N° 4 
THE WATERMAN -WATER5VRY CO. 

MINNEAPOLIS. - - MINN. 



FLOOR. PLAN -DESIGN N9 «4 



D. 
This neat bungalow style schoolhouse is one of a series designed by The Waterman- 
Waterbury Company. 



42 



Plans for School Improvement 




•WATERSVRY' 

• ONE-ROOM SCMOOL. MOU5E:- 

•DE51GN N9 1- 

THE WATERMAN - WATERBV R.Y C OM.PANY 

MINNEAPOLIS MINN. 





■ * L.I. 


ITS 


'Mil! 








| 1 1 1 [ 


JJLJ 


17] 


Mil! 


I j 1 


T t ACM6R S 






DtSK 


If! 





REVI5ED FLOOR PLAN RCVI5ED FLOOR PLAN 

DESIGN INS L DESISN N« 1 

EAST UGHT, 50>JTH FRONTAGE EAST UGMT, NORTH FRONTAGE 



STANDARD FLOOR PLAN 
DfcSISN N9 1 



A WATERMAN-WATERBURY BUILDING PLAN. 



Village and Rural Schools. 



43 




The Waterbury System, Style C, illustrated above, is for use in buildings having 
ordinary 8"x8" or 8"xl2" shelf chimneys that have not given smoke trouble with a 
common stove. 



44 Plans for School Improvement 

Water Supply. 

Great care should be used in providing plenty of pure water. 
Every possible source of contamination should be carefully guarded ; 
the source of water supply ought to be at least 100 feet from any 
privy or cesspool. The top of the well or cistern should be provided 
with a close-fitting cement top, so that it would be impossible for 
rabbits, rats, mice or filth to enter. Water is one of the best known 
agents in the transmission of disease germs, and many cases of 
sickness and even death are due to the fact that school boards have 
neglected to provide pure water. The water from open wells or 
springs should not be used, and frequent tests should be made to 
see that the water is free from all contamination. A simple test 
for organic impurities is made by placing water in a bottle, which 
has been thoroughly cleansed by boiling, and corking it up airtight 
and allowing it to remain for two days. On removing the cork, if 
any odor can be detected the water is unfit for drinking purposes 
and should be further investigated immediately. 

Cistern water becomes stagnant during vacation. Before 
school opens this water should be tested. If it is merely stagnant, 
it should be thoroughly stirred up so as to absorb the atmosphere. 
If the water is polluted it should be drawn out, the cistern thorough- 
ly washed and a fresh supply of pure water hauled and put in. Per- 
manganate of potassium destroys organic matter, precipitating as 
manganate of potassium in the bottom of the cistern. One ounce is 
sufficient for the average-sized cistern. This prescription is cheap, 
effective and absolutely harmless. A few cents worth will be suf- 
ficient to make the water sweet and pure. A few days before school 
opens a member of the board should purchase an ounce of perman- 
ganate of potassium, dissolve it in a bucket of water, and then put 
it into the cistern and stir the water thoroughly with a pole, or 
pump out and pour back several times. This will make the water 
quite wholesome and ready for use. This precaution should not be 
neglected. 

Silver Nitrate Test for Purity of Water. 

Into a test tube two-thirds full of water to be tested, put a 
small crystal of silver nitrate ( Ag No 3 ) . 

If the water turns to a milky white it indicates the presence 
of a chloride or a carbonate. 

Add a few drops of nitric acid (H No 3 ) to the milky solution. 
If the water remains cloudy it is unsafe and should not be used for 
drinking purposes. 



Village and Rural Schools. 



45 



Drinking Fountains. 

The time has come in our State when the open bucket an.d 
common drinking cup should no longer be tolerated. In the light 
of modern science no school board or teacher can be excused for 
permitting this menace to public health to longer remain. This 
department does not undertake to prescribe any particular brand 
or system of drinking fountain. Several types of bubbling foun- 
tains, used in connection with ordinary covered water jars or cool- 
ers, have been devised for use in schools where a water system is 
not installed. All of these types are more or less satisfactory and 
the cost is a mere trifle when compared with the saving in doctor 
bills. The county superintendent will be glad to furnish informa- 
tion about prices and kinds of fountains best suited to local needs. 







A 



DRINKING FOUNTAINS. 
A practical and inexpensive method of providing a pure water supply. Particularly 
adapted for village and country schools, offices and churches where a system of 
waterworks is not installed or the city water is not fit for drinking. 



46 



Plans for School Improvement 






^ m b 

.5 SO 3 

.* * fi 



60 :>> 



H * ~ 



> 3 



10 W ft 



Village and Rural Schools. 



47 



The best way to solve the problem of water supply and drink- 
ing fountains is to install a permanent system at the outset and 
then you have a satisfactory solution for years to come. Sink an 
air-tight pressure tank below the frost line and connect it with a 
force pump by a one and one-fourth inch galvanized iron pipe. 
This pipe must also be laid lower than freezing point. From the 
pressure tank run a three-fourths inch supply pipe to each fixture 
or bubbling fountain in the schoolroom. Provision must be made 
to shut off the supply when necessary and to drain the pipes above 
the ground to prevent freezing in winter. 




—Courtesy of Linn-McCabe Co., Casey, 111. 

To get a drink of water the child turns the little handwheel 
at the side of the bowl, which opens the valve below. The com- 
pressed air in the tank forces the water to bubble up through the 
bubbling cup, making it an easy matter to drink without the lips 
coming into contact with any metal whatever. When the child lets 



48 



Plans for School Improvement 



go of the handwheel the valve closes and the flow of water stops 
and the feed pipe at once drains itself through the leak hole "L," 
thus preventing freezing in the coldest weather. The waste water 
falls into the waste bowl, and is carried down the waste pipe below 
the platform where it empties into drain pipe. 

The next child to drink gets an absolutely fresh supply of 
water. It makes no difference if the first drinker has typhoid or 
diphtheria germs on his lips, the second drinker is as secure from 
contamination as though he drank from an entirely different well. 




WWiHlt m ■ ■»' 

-Courtesy of Linn-McCabe Co., Casey, 111. 



Lighting. 

In providing the necessary equipment for the school, the im- 
portance of proper lighting should by no means be overlooked. 

In constructing new buildings only unilateral or one-side light- 
ing should exist. Scientific and practical demonstrations prove 
that cross light or that obtained by having windows on opposite 
sides of the room is injurious to the eyes and should be avoided. 
Light coming from windows placed close together on the left side 
and also from high windows in the rear of the pupils, as shown in 
the Felt plan, for a one-room school, is very satisfactory. Where 
light is from the north the glass area should be one-fourth of the 
floor area. North light is the poorest light for a schoolroom. East 
light is the best, west light second best and south light third best. 



Village and Rural Schools. 



49 




The adjustable shade should be purchased, it lasts longer, gives better satisfaction 
in every respect. 

—Courtesy of L. O. Draper Shade Co., Spiceland, Ind. 

Many rooms are not provided with window shades and the light 
is allowed to enter unrestricted, often shining directly on the desk 
and book of the pupil, producing an injurious effect upon the pupil's 
eyes. The remedy, of course, is the window shade, of which there 
is a variety; however none but the best adjustable type should be 
used. The initial cost of the adjustable shade is a trifle more than 
the ordinary shade, but the results obtained are much better, and 
the shade is more durable. 

It is a well-known fact that the color of the walls and the 
amount of blackboard space determine the amount of light needed. 
Glaring white walls should not be permitted, because of the bad 
effect on the eyes. 

Color Scheme for Walls. 

Much effort has been made to secure a satisfactory system of 
color scheme for the walls of a schoolroom, and possibly the most 
satisfactory suggestions offered are those given by a committee of 



50 Plans for School Improvement. 

expert oculists of New York to the school board of that city. The 
report says the lower portions of the room should be a light brown, 
the walls should be a light buff tint or a light gray and the ceiling 
an, ivory white. Experiments show the effect of the combination 
of these tints to be restful and cheerful. 

The furniture and window and door frames should be plain to 
prevent the accumulation of dust. Light colored wood with natural 
finish and dull surface should be used. 

Outbuildings. 

It would be difficult to exaggerate the filthy conditions which 
exist in connection with outbuildings of rural schools in this State, 
and steps should have been taken long ago to remedy this glaring 
evil. Indoor sanitary toilets have been devised which, when treated 
properly, prove quite satisfactory even where a water system is 
not possible. The following regulations have been issued by the 
Indiana State Board of Health and have the force of law. Our 
State Board of Health should be empowered to enforce similar rules 
and regulations in this State: 

Toilets. 

"Where a sewer system or pressure water supply is available or practicable, water- 
closets to the number of 1 seat for each 15 females or fractional part thereof, 1 seat for 
each 25 males or fractional part thereof, and 1 urinal for each 15 males or fractional 
par % t thereof, shall be installed. In estimating the number of closets to be installed, 
the occupants shall be divided as follows : 40 per cent males and 60 per cent females. 
Where the syphon type of closet is used, it shall be provided with seat-action flush, 
with working parts of sufficient strength to withstand rough usage. Closets having 
any working parts of valve or any metal parts inside of bowl shall not be used. 

All closets shall be equipped with wooden seat tops and lids. Long hopper water- 
closets and similar appliances shall not hereafter be installed in any school building. 
All urinals shall be constructed of materials impervious to moisture and that will not 
corrode, and shall be divided into stalls not less than 16 inches nor more than 20 
inches in width. 

When closets are located in the basement, they shall be separated as to sexes 
by solid, sound-proof wall and shall be approached by separate stairways. Boys' 
toilet rooms shall be clearly marked "Boys Toilet," and girls' toilet rooms shall be 
clearly marked "Girls Toilet." 

Indoor Crematory Closets. 

"Whenever a sewer system or pressure water supply is not available or prac- 
ticable, either an indoor crematory sanitary closet system or outdoor sanitary closets 
shall be provided to the same number as specified for water-closets. If an indoor 
crematory sanitary closet system is used, the vault of same shall be constructed of 
brick, with cement floor, properly drained. The vault heater, gratings, floors, and 
stools shall be made of cast iron. The urinals shall be constructed either of enameled 
iron, slate, marble, or glass, and shall be ventilated both at top and bottom. The seat 
shall be made either of wood or aluminum, and if wood seats are used, the underside 
of same shall be lined with metal. The lids of the seats shall be provided with a self- 
closing device. Such closets shall be connected to a vent flue or stack with a free cross- 



Village and Rural Schools. 



51 




F. 

A battery of Waterbury Sanitary Closets installed in a school toilet room. Any 
vacant space, sufficiently private, in an old building may be sectioned off for the pur- 
pose. 



sectional area of not less than CO square inches for each seat and each stall of urinal, 
to which stack shall be connected a stack heater. Fire must be kept in both the stack 
heater and the vault heater at all times when the school is in session, in order to 
maintain a positive updraft in the stack and to destroy the contents of the vault. 
So-called dry closets shall not hereafter be used in any school building." 



Outdoor Sanitary Closets. 

"If an outdoor sanitary closet system is used, the vault receptacle and floor of 
such closet shall be of cement construction. Dry loamy earth, wood ashes, sifted coal 
ashes, or slacked lime shall be thrown in the vault receptacle at least once each day 
when school is in session, and the contents of the vault shall be removed at least 
twice in each school year. All outdoor closets shall be kept effectually screened and 
protected against flies. The interior walls of such closets shall be sided with cor- 
rugated metal sheathing, painted a drab color, and sanded while the paint is still wet. 

In the boys' closet a urinal of metal, cement, or other nonabsorbent material with 
stalls shall be constructed and made to discharge through a proper drain into the soil 
away from the closet and not nearer than 100 feet to any source of water supply." 



52 Plans for School Improvement 

Approved Rural Schools. 

What has shown itself an important factor in the improvement 
of the rural schools is the method by which they are classified and 
approved. This plan, which is similar in many respects to that 
used in other states, has been in, operation since 1909 and is now 
becoming quite generally known and understood by the teachers. 
It is presented here in the hope that more school officers will get a 
better understanding of what it means and then set about to see 
that the school under their charge is put in a condition to merit 
approval. 

The purpose of the plan is to improve the school by setting 
up a standard which is more or less easily attained by exerting a 
little effort. The standard is made up of the most vital points 
which should characterize a good school anywhere. The county 
superintendent, or the rural school inspector, will visit the school 
and note the condition of the building, apparatus and equipment, 
grounds and outbuildings, organization and qualifications of the 
teacher, and when the essentials of a good school are found to 
exist the State Superintendent will issue a certificate of approval 
designating it as an approved school. It is not the purpose of the 
inspection to make adverse criticism, but to assist the teacher and 
board in finding out what the schools lack and to assist in supply- 
ing the need or at least pointing it out. There are certain funda- 
mental things which we are agreed should be considered in fixing 
any sort of standard which a good school should meet. 

A set of requirements has, therefore, been worked out, and 
these requirements are stated here with the hope that school 
officers will use them as a test to see wherein the school in their 
charge is lacking. 

When, the following requirements are met the school will 
receive the certificate: , 

1. The term must be at least eight months in length. 

It is impossible to accomplish the amount of work outlined in 
less time — hence the term should be eight months. 

2. The teacher must hold a certificate higher than a third 
grade county. 

In general, the best teachers will not be satisfied with a third 
grade certificate, and it is important that the work in an approved 
school be efficient in every way. 



Village and Rural Schools. 53 

3. The salary paid the teacher must be at least forty-five dol- 
lars per month. 

A school may receive State aid and pay a teacher holding a 
second grade certificate forty-five dollars per month — hence this 
price is made as a minimum. 

4. The board must have complied with the library law. 
Section 8186, R. S. 1901, provides that it shall be the duty of 

the board to set aside out of the incidental fund a sum equal to at 
least five cents per pupil enumerated and not more than twenty 
cents per pupil for the purchase of library books each year. 

The efficiency of a school is greatly increased by the use of a 
well selected library, and boards should set aside an ample sum of 
money each year for the purchase of suitable books. 

5. The State Course of Study must be followed. 

The day of haphazard work is past. The State Course of Study 
has ample material well organized and arranged in such a way that 
it can be followed as a guide by any live teacher with much profit. 
Boards should insist that the teacher make use of this wealth of 
valuable and suggestive material. 

6. The school must be well organized and classified. 

The State Course of Study plans the work in such a way that 
classes may be alternated and combined, to the end that more time 
may be given classes and better results obtained. 

7. The instruction and discipline must be satisfactory. 

The teacher must give evidence of training and scholarship 
and a reasonable degree of proficiency in teaching and management. 

8. The school buildings, grounds and outbuildings must be 
adequate, cleanly and sanitary. 

The room should be properly lighted, heated and ventilated, 
window shades should be provided for all windows, outbuildings 
should be screened and vines planted where they will cover the 
screen. An abundant supply of pure water should be provided on 
the school ground. 

9. The room must be heated by other means than radiation. 
The minimum of this requirement is that the stove must be 

provided with a jacket. This is of little value unless a fresh air 
intake and foul air outlet is also provided. It is now time that an 
approved school should be supplied with a modern system of heat- 
ing and ventilating. 

10. The teacher must be a regular attendant at county and 
township meetings. 



54 Plans for School Improvement 

A progressive teacher will accept all means for professional 
growth and development and this is one of the best evidences of a 
live teacher — that he attend these meetings and do the reading 
circle work. 

11. A satisfactory program must be posted conspicuously. 

A school without a definite program would be like a railroad 
system without a time-table, nothing but confusion and chaos can 
possibly result from such a plan. To do the best work and to train 
pupils in habits of punctuality require the teacher to have a pro- 
gram and follow it. 

12. The library must contain at least 100 volumes bound in 
boards suitable for carrying out the State Course of Study. (In- 
cluding sets of supplementary readers, not less than five books to 
the set.) 

This requirement means that the library must have at least 
100 volumes, and No. 4 requires that new books must be added 
annually. There must be at least four sets of supplementary read- 
ers, such, for example, as a third reader, and there must be five of 
the same kind in that set. This material includes story books, his- 
tory stories, nature study, geographical readers and literary selec- 
tions. 

13. The library must contain at least fifty agricultural bul- 
letins. 

These may be obtained free from the College of Agriculture 
at Columbia, Mo., and the Department of Agriculture at Washing- 
ton, D. C, and should be selected with a view to carrying out the 
work in agriculture in the local district. For example, in the south 
bulletins on cotton growing will be valuable, while in the north 
those on corn, cattle, hogs, etc., will serve the needs of the com- 
munity better. 

14. A total credit of 80 points out of a possible 100 must be 
earned. 

Some states offer state aid to their standard rural schools. 
Ohio gives a special aid of fifty dollars annually to her standard 
rural schools. 

While it is true that any school which meets all of the above 
conditions will do better work and the pupils are receiving superior 
advantages, yet it is suggested that the Legislature recognize the 
efforts of these people and offer a bonus of, say twenty dollars a 
year, to each of these schools — this money to be used in the pur- 
chase of new books for the library or for apparatus necessary to 
teach agriculture. 



Village and Rural Schools. 55 

Apparatus for Teaching Agriculture in Rural Schools. 

Since the law requires agriculture to be taught in the public 
schools in this State, it is necessary that each schoolroom be pro- 
vided with some simple apparatus with which experiments may be 
performed. Much of this may be collected by the teacher and 
pupils in the community, but some of it should be purchased by 
the school board. The first thing needed is a well-made cabinet 
with lock and key in which the material may be kept at all times 
when not in use. The following apparatus should be found in each 
rural school: 

One square, three yardsticks, twelve foot rulers, one meter 
stick, one spring balance, one set of scales, three bread pans, six 
quart jars, six pint jars, six lamp chimneys (No. 2), six glass tubes 
(different sizes), several small boxes for seed testing, boxes con- 
taining different kinds of soil, as clay, loam, sand, leaf mold, etc., 
one Babcock milk tester, one handsaw, hammer, test tubes, alcohol 
lamp, set of tin measures, three tripod lenses, two thermometers. 

Most of this apparatus may be purchased at the local stores 
or gathered from the homes of the district. A work table, at least 
3x6 feet, should be provided, and pupils should be required to make 
experiments and observations and keep complete and accurate 
notes on them. Much of the above apparatus will be of use in 
classes in arithmetic. 

Some of the Advantages of an Approved School are as Follows: 

1. Better qualified teachers. 

2. Longer terms and hence more public funds. 

3. Better libraries and other essential equipment. 

4. Better sanitary conditions for the promotion of health and 
comfort among the pupils. 

5. Greater inspiration to the patrons to be content only with 
the best. 

6. Better teaching and general school work. 

Special Concession to Approved Rural Schools. 

Teachers in approved rural schools conduct their own examina- 
tions and grade their own papers and their pupils are given common 
school diplomas on the recommendation of the teacher. In all other 
schools the examination papers for graduation from the rural 
schools must be read by the county superintendent or a committee 
appointed by him. This concession confers a special honor and 
privilege on the approved rural school. 



56 



Plans for School Improvement 



TABLE OF APPROVED RURAL SCHOOLS. 

Showing the number of rural schools, number of approved schools and percentage of 
approved schools in each county January 1, 1914. 



County. 



Adair 

Andrew 

Atchison 

Audrain 

Barry 

Barton 

Bates 

Benton 

Bollinger 

Boone 

Buchanan 

Butler 

Caldwell 

Callaway 

Camden 

Cape Girardeau 

Carroll 

Carter 

Cass 

Cedar 

Chariton 

Christian 

Clark 

Clay 

Clinton 

Cole 

Cooper 

Crawford 

Dade 

Dallas 

Daviess 

DeKalb 

Dent 

Douglas 

Dunklin 

Franklin 

Gasconade 

Gentry 

Greene 

Grundy 

Harrison 

Henry 

Hickory 

Holt 

Howard 

Howell 

Iron 

Jackson 

Jasper 

Jefferson 

Johnson 

Knox 

Laclede 

Lafayette 

Lawrence 

Lewis 

Lincoln 



o cr 



75 
79 
85 
90 

110 
93 

133 
92 
92 
96 
65 
81 
70 

114 
83 
74 

120 
33 

110 
82 

127 
76 
89 
58 
61 
47 
87 
82 
78 
80 

102 
74 
79 

108 
70 

111 
61 
89 

110 
79 

135 
97 
58 
68 
57 

113 
44 
97 
98 
84 

130 
74 
90 
91 
91 
75 
85 



3 s 

CO (D 



3 
15 
15 
4 
3 
4 
7 
3 

3 
9 

9 



4 


1 
2 

1 
5 
5 
•2 
8 

6 
3 
3 


1 

16 
3 
4 
29 
2 
4 
6 

6 
5 
2 
1 


7 
7 
1 

3 
1 
1 




R n.Sf 



4.0 

19.0 

17.6 

4.4 

2.7 

4.3 

5.2 

3.2 

.0 

3.1 

13.8 

.0 

12.8 

.0 

.0 

.0 

3.3 

.0 

.0 

1.2 

1.5 

.0 

1.1 

8.6 

8.2 

4.2 

9.1 

.0 

7.6 

3.6 

2.9 

.0 

.0 



6.1 
.0 



8.7 
1.7 
2.2 

.0 

.0 
8.3 
5.3 
1.3 

.0 
3.2 
1.1 
1.3 

.0 



County. 



Linn 

Livingston .... 

McDonald 

Macon 

Madison 

Maries 

Marion 

Mercer 

Miller 

Mississippi . . . 
Moniteau. . . . 

Monroe 

Montgomery . . 

Morgan 

New Madrid. . 

Newton 

Nodaway 

Oregon 

Osage 

Ozark 

Pemiscot 

Perry 

Pettis 

Phelps 

Pike 

Platte 

Polk 

Pulaski 

Putnam 

Ralls 

Randolph. . . . 

Ray 

Reynolds 

Ripley 

St. Charles . . . 

St. Clair 

St. Francois . . 
Ste. Genevieve 

St. Louis 

Saline 

Schuyler 

Scotland 

Scott 

Shannon 

Shelby 

Stoddard 

Stone 

Sullivan 

Taney 

Texas 

Vernon 

Warren 

Washington . . . 

Wayne 

Webster 

Worth 

Wright 



J* 

4 



101 
94 
66 

137 
50 
53 
56 
86 
82 
42 
72 
94 
71 
81 
44 
95 

167 
70 
70 
85 
35 
58 
92 
79 
78 
69 

106 
61 
85 
61 
78 
90 
58 
77 
72 

106 
46 
48 
67 

113 
56 
69 
42 
79 
69 

102 
60 

109 
73 

136 

132 
57 
69 
71 
80 
57 
93 



SB 

a to 



3 
7 

5 



12 
1 
1 

1 

16 
6 


2 

31 
3 
1 

1 
2 
5 


1 
5 
2 
2 
3 
6 
1 

1 
5 


6 
2 
8 


2 

7 


3 

1 
6 
1 
1 
1 

3 
5 



Total number of approved rural schools, 383. 

Percentage of rural schools approved, 4.1%. 

Number of counties having approved rural schools, 78. 



Village and Rural Schools. 



57 



GRAPH OF APPROVED RURAL SCHOOLS. 



Graph showing the percentage of rural schools that have been inspected since July 1, 
1913, and approved in counties having approved rural schools. 



Greene. . . 
Marion. . . 
Andrew . . 
Nodaway. 
Atchison. . 
Monroe. . 
Franklin.. 
Buchanan 
Caldwell. . 
S. Genev'\ 
Shelby . . . 
Cooper. . . 

Holt 

Howard. . 

Clay 

Montgom'y 
Jefferson. . 
Clinton.. . 
Dade. . . . 
Randolph. 
Livingston 

Saline 

St. Charles 
Henry. . 
Pettis. . 
Johnson 
Wright . 
Bates. . 
Worth . 
Ralls... 
Gasconade 

Polk 

Scott. . . . 
Gentry. . . 
Audrain. . 
Barton. . . 
Vernon. . . 

Cole 

Oregon. . . 
Adair. . . . 
Dallas. . . 
Macon. . . 
Perry. . . . 
Carroll. . . 
Benton. . . 
Pulaski. . . 
Lafayette. 
Boone. . . . 
Harrison. . 
Daviess. . 

Linn 

St. Louis. 
Pemiscot . 
Barry. . . . 
Sullivan. . 
Grundy. . 

Iron 

Newton . . 
Putnam. . 
Howell. . . 
Warren. . . 
Chariton . 
Osage. . . . 

Platte 

Wash'gton 
Wayne. . . 
Moniteau. 
Lewis .... 
Knox .... 
Ripley . . . 
Cedar. . . . 
Clark. . . . 
Miller .... 

Ray 

Lawrence. 
Mercer. . . 
Douglas. . 
Texas .... 



26.3 



17.0 



13.8 

_ 12. S 
12.5 



9. 1 

1.8 



. 8.6 
, 8.4 
8.3 
8.2 

r.e 
r.e 



.7.0 
6.9 



. 3 

. 3 

, 3 
3 
3.2 
3.2 
3.2 
3.1 
3.0 

2.9 

2.9 

2.9 

2.8 

2.7 

2.7 

2.5 



_ 4 
_ 4. 
_ 4.7 
_ 4.7 
. 4.5 

4.4 

4.3 

4.3 
4.2 
4.2 
4.0 

6 

6 

4 

3 



5.4 
5.3 
5.3 
5.2 
5.2 

9 



. 2.1 

. 2. 1 

1.7 

1.7 

1.5 

4 

4 

4 

4 



1 

1 

1 

1 

1.3 
1.3 
1.3 
1.3 
1.2 



V 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



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